


Role reversal

by Zoya113



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 03:53:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21293189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: Paul gets a fever but he’s pretty stubborn on the fact he’s perfectly healthy.Emma gets a taste of her own medicine
Relationships: Paul Matthews/ Emma Perkins
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	Role reversal

**Author's Note:**

> Something quick bc I just saw Black Friday tonight and was excited !! Some vague-ish spoilers (?) in the bottom notes so just be careful !

“Finally my time to look after you, huh?” Emma spoke quietly to Paul’s sleepy form from where she wetted a face cloth over the ensuite sink. “This has got to be like the first or second time, you have the immune system of a god, buddy.” She dabbed the wet cloth onto his forehead.   
“Feeling alright?”

“Mhm,” he mumbled, rolling onto his side and tucking the blanket up around his neck. “I’m doing okay, I’m doing okay.” His teeth were chattering. 

“You’re looking pretty rough,” she snorted as she sat down beside him, fixing up the blanket. 

“Thanks, Em,” he shot her an uncertain grin, his eyes still shut. 

“You just sit tight and you’ll wake up feeling better. You got yourself a few days of work though, lucky.” 

“I’ll be better in the morning, Emma,” he sounded incredulous to the point where she had to stop talking. Surely he knew how sick he was, he was not going to be better by morning. 

“Paul, that’s not exactly how...” she made a few, vague gestures with her fingers but he wasn’t looking. “That’s not how it works,” she snorted. “You were kidding though weren’t you? Did you even see the thermometer?” 

“The thermometer was wrong. I’m not that bad. I’ll be better in the morning,” he tried to tell her again. He sounded dead certain. 

Emma wanted to laugh. It sounded like something she would say. “The thermometer isn’t broken, Paul! It worked perfectly fine last time! You don’t have to be stubborn, fevers just last a while you know?” 

Paul grimaced, gritting his teeth and rolling his head up against Emma’s thigh. “The thermometer must have worked last time because you were throwing up! You totally had a fever!” His words took a while to come out, punctuated by gasps for breath. “I have not thrown up. I’m just feeling light headed. That reading was too high for a bit of dizziness. I just have a cold.”

“Oooh come on!” She groaned. “Okay, you can be in denial if you want but it doesn’t change the fact, honey, babe. You have a very high fever and you’ll be out of commission for a while.” She ran her hands through his hair once but withdrew, wiping her hand down on her pants. There was even sweat in his hair. 

Paul shook his head. “No. It’s like you said.” He fell silent for so long that Emma assumed he had passed out, and was about to stand up when he continued, “I have the immune system of a god.”

“Stop shouting. You’ll wear yourself out. I was only saying that because you haven’t had a fever before, babe. But right now, you clearly have one. I mean, your temperature is high, you’re sweating and dizzy and you can’t stand. What more do you want?” She fixed up his sheets, handing him his water bottle with the other hand. 

“That does not equal a fever,” he stated. 

“It equals a fever when I do it!” She retorted. “When I so much as yawn you want to check my temperature.”

Paul opened his eyes just to roll them. “Because you get sick all the time! You can never be sure! But I don’t get sick! So I’m sure this is just like, a passing thing, I just need to take a nap or something. Turn the cooler on, I’m probably just hot.” 

She gave his shoulder a pat. “Wow! Great, well you try that and we’ll see who’s right when you wake up. How does that sound?” 

“I wouldn’t sound so sure of myself if I was you,” he suggested, his voice raising teasingly. “I’ve known me my whole life. You’ve only known me for a while. When I get a fever I’m a lot sicker than this. I’m just hot right now. ”

Emma shrugged, standing up from the bed so he would stop trying to push his point so hard. “Well you aren’t out of the woods yet. You could still throw up or pass out or any number of things. You totally have a fever, babe.” She crossed her arms. She could be stubborn too. 

“Oh yeah? If I had a fever could I do this?” He reached out and yanked at her hand, pulling her back onto the bed.  
He let out a loud, pained gasp when she landed on his stomach though and she quickly scrambled off him to her side of the bed. 

“Yeah, you could because you did,” she stroked his shoulder patronisingly. “You could only do that because my leg is shit, remember? God. You’re such an idiot sometimes, you did that to yourself but I’m not gonna bully you for it because you’re sick.” She rested her head on her pillow, laying on her side to scan Paul for any sign of sickness.   
She had had quite enough of his denial.   
“D’you wanna hear a fun little fact about the immune system babe? That I know is true because I’m a biology student, so you technically can’t refute it?”

Paul didn’t answer. 

“Because I know the science behind it and the facts? And have every scientist and doctor and every sane thinking person in the world on my side?” She stared at him until he had to make eye contact with her.

“What?” He growled from underneath the sheets. “What? Fine, flex your biology knowledge on me but I don’t have a fever. I would know if I did. I’m just feeling a bit hot.”

Emma nodded, letting him have that last moment of denial before telling him the facts. “Well. Fevers are caused by the immune system, and they’re actually sort of healthy if you think about it.”

“Wh-huh?” He gave her a wide eyed, confused look. 

“Yeah. Half the time, when the body has a fever it’s because a pathogen or a virus is inside. And the body heats itself up because proteins work faster in higher temperatures. So if you’re feeling hot it means your body’s fighting off some sort of non-self cell. That’s an illness.” 

Paul didn’t reply after that. 

“So, yeah man. Sorry to say it. Don’t be stubborn and listen to me because I’m right. That’s the moral of the story.”

He scoffed. “What a role reversal. You’re the one who’s stubborn and I’m the one who was right!” 

“Yeah, it’s just like the thermometer. It only works when you want it to. Got it. Now go to sleep and we’ll see who’s right when you wake up,” she pulled up his blanket that he had kicked down again. “Okay babe?” 

“Whatever.” He took her hand to give it a quick kiss before rolling away again so he didn’t have to look at her. “But I’m only going to sleep because it’s late.”

She grinned. She was fairly sure he knew she was right. “Sure thing, babe. You just tell yourself that.”

**Author's Note:**

> ——Sort of Black Friday spoilers but not really?? ——- just read w caution lmao 
> 
> Just wanted to say that it fucked half my canon & said no schaffer rights 
> 
> —-


End file.
